Tencent CEO attempts to calm the storm following a Chinese official's claim saying the government is planning to impose service fees on WeChat users.

Tencent CEO Liu Chiping says the company's mobile chat service WeChat will remain free, in response to Chinese users' complaints over the possibility of being charged for using it.

Xinhua's report Sunday, citing Liu, said the Internet giant does not believe there will be a need to charge users for the service. The CEO also said the app's large user base will offer room for cooperation with telecom operators.